What Kind of a Game?
by night animal
Summary: Data, Worf and Geordi are transported to Earth, the Victorian age. The android meets with a strange woman who wonders if he wants to have some fun?. This is my first star trek fanfic. I haven´t had anyone to beta my story, so please review.


What kind of a game?

It was a damp, cold afternoon in London and the mist seemed to have a life of its own, swirling around the gold-coloured man draped in a Victorian cloak. His yellow eyes scanned the street carefully and the dark walking stick in his hand somehow seemed a part of him, almost as though he were a strange creature, from another world. That was, in fact, exactly what he was. Well, not a different world, perhaps. More like a different time. His assignment here was to keep an eye on the grand exhibition of a new machine that had greatly upset the rulers of his own time. This machine was not supposed to be invented yet, for many years, and if it were to be made here and now, the future would be altered. Exactly what that would mean, nobody knew for certain.

"Want to have some fun, sir?" a husky voice inquired. Lt Commander Data nearly jumped, and promptly spun around to see who had been able to sneak up on him despite his vigilance. A pale, ragged-looking woman in a red dress looked up at him and smiled. She must have been considered pretty once, but now she looked worn and feverish. To top it all off she suddenly started coughing and seemed unable to stop. Her thin body was shaking horribly and whenever she managed to draw a breath it sounded almost as though her lungs were filled with dead leaves. Puzzled, Data handed her a handkerchief that belonged to his outfit. The woman accepted it gratefully and coughed some blood on it.

"Thank you, sir" she whispered and tried to hand it back to him. Data had no clue as to what to do with it. Was she offering him some blood for DNA-testing? No…that could not be it. They had no knowledge about such things in this time and age, of that he was convinced. But maybe he should have Doctor Crusher examine it, just in case…?

He was abruptly torn from his thoughts by a new coughing fit. Now she was bending double, her face red and wet with perspiration. There was blood on the cobble stones beneath her. It occurred to him that she must be very ill. So why was she asking him to have fun with her? And what kind of fun did she want? Should she not be home, resting?

"Madame, perhaps you should retire home and rest? You do not seem fit to be outside." He offered her his arm to lean on. A bitter, rasping laugh was the only answer he got from her. He could not help this woman now, there was no time. Geordi and Worf would be here any second to tell him what they had found out about the machine, and she should not be present then. But she looked so… helpless. So ill. All his circuits told him that he was made to protect human life and what was she if not human?

"Where do you live, Madame? I wish to accompany you to your home."

"Not far…" she managed to say, her voice trailing off into a whisper. She gave him a weak smile, and they began walking.

One block, two blocks… he was now in a darker part of London and the mist seemed even thicker here. Pale faces popped up from out of the shadows, starring at him. Some of them looked tired, others hostile. He felt an immediate urge to be on his guard, even more than usual. Their footsteps echoed as they treaded on, slowly as not to make the woman cough again. After a little while, he turned his yellow eyes to her and asked for her name. For a moment he thought she would not answer, but then she suddenly whispered one word: "Emma".

"I am pleased to meet you, Emma. My name is…", he thought for a moment, then made a decision, "Mr Soong".

"It is very kind of you to walk me home, sir," she said, stopping in front of a shabby wooden door. From out of her bodice she produced a small key, with which she unlocked the door.

A smell of decay and poverty hit his nostrils as he stepped inside. Emma was still leaning on him, breathing rather heavily, so he assumed she still required assistance. Maybe he should walk her to the small bed in that corner… He started to move, and the woman followed, clinging to his arm. As they approached the bed, she lay down and gave him a weak smile. He noticed her eyes seemed almost … misty.

"Thank you, sir," she said in a small voice. Then she weakly patted on the bed, beside her. "Would you like to lie down, Mr Soong?"

Data was puzzled. Lie down?

"No thank you, Emma, I do not require rest at present time."

She laughed softly.

"Oh, we don´t have to rest, sir. We can do…other things… Fun things."

Even more puzzled than before, Data thought for a moment before he uttered:

"Do you want to play a game?"

Emma shifted her bodyweight onto her right elbow and looked at him.

"Yes. A game, Mr Soong. Let´s play a game." She smiled again. It was a beautiful smile, but a little sad.

"I am afraid I have to leave, Emma. My friends …"

"Oh, don´t leave me, sir. I know just what you need. I always know what they need …" Her voice trailed off.

"I am sorry, Emma. We can play a game some other time. Do you play chess?"

"Chess?" Now she looked almost amused.

"When my mission is over, I shall return and we shall play chess. Is that acceptable to you, Emma?"

"I don´t play chess, Mr Soong," she replied, almost laughing now. The android could not understand what would be so funny about that. But he picked up his walking stick and made himself ready to leave.

"I have to go now. Please have a pleasant day and a quick recovery, Emma."

The woman´s eyes followed him as he went out the door and onto the dark streets.

"Where have you been, Data!" Geordi exclaimed. "I was beginning to wonder if you had decided to stay here forever!"

The android looked at his best friend and politely answered: "I am sorry, Geordi, but I met with a woman who required my assistance."

"What woman?" Worf growled irritably. He did not enjoy waiting and the humidity of the air had soon made the Klingon´s hair look as though he were some kind of unmodern utensil for mopping floors with.

"Her name is Emma and she wanted to play a game with me," Data explained. The other two men stared at him.

"Play a game?" Geordi sounded slightly tense, Data noted.

"Yes. She asked me if I wanted to have fun, but then she became very ill, so I decided it would be appropriate to walk her home. And when we had arrived she wanted to play a game with me. I made a promise that I would come back later and play chess. Was that the wrong decision to make?"

The other two men exchanged a quick look. "Er… Data …" his best friend began, but he was interrupted by Worf, who impatiently boomed "Let´s get going. I have … things to do." He made a futile attempt to make his suddenly very curly hair lie down. Geordi shrugged, and tapped his hidden com badge. "Three to beam up" he stated.


End file.
